Chris Christie's higher ed reform plan good for N.J.

Gov. Chris Christie unveiled a sweeping plan last week to overhaul New Jersey’s university system, with the aim of capturing more grant money at a time when higher education is severely underfunded. Rowan, a South Jersey state college, would take over the Camden campus of Rutgers, including its law and business schools. The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey would be broken up, and its high-profile medical school awarded to Rutgers.

Robert Campbell, a member of the governor’s special task force and a former Johnson & Johnson executive, thinks this is a big win for the state. He recently spoke with Star-Ledger editorial writer Julie O’Connor.

Q. What do you see as the strongest arguments for this plan?

A. We’ve long been talking about Rutgers going from good to great since (former Gov. Tom) Kean’s task force on higher education two years ago. Merging it with the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Cancer Institute of New Jersey and School of Public Health could bring in a lot more research dollars. Rutgers would be viewed in a different way by corporate and government funders.

Grants turn into jobs — and, hopefully, into products eventually. Being that New Jersey is the pharmaceutical center of the country, in the long run, these grants should provide plenty of opportunities in biomedical research and health sciences.

This plan is also good for South Jersey. The region has always felt left out in terms of higher education. There’s a tremendous drain of students and patients in the health care system to Pennsylvania. Having a full-fledged research university down there will help.

It will bring in more research dollars and facilities to Camden, too. Rutgers is in Camden, but it’s more of a satellite. It’s the smallest of the Rutgers schools and not the university’s main focus. New Brunswick and Newark have had stronger investment and plans for growth.

As part of Rowan, Rutgers-Camden will get more attention. It puts Rowan on a new level and it becomes part of a comprehensive university, interconnected with other pieces rather than just being a branch of Rutgers. If Rowan wants to expand in the future, having that base of what was Rutgers provides an anchor.

Q. Do you have any concerns about it?

A. Not about the plan. But I would expect there’s going to be push-back from people who would rather see things a different way.

Q. What about the fate of University Hospital?

A. University Hospital is extremely important to Newark and the state. We feel it will benefit from being operated separately from the university, where it will have its own focus and be improved by private management that has experience with broader health care systems. The state will still have to come up with some funding; there’s no doubt about that. The hospital’s equipment andinfrastructure is badly in need of investment.

Q. Are you worried that the Rutgers board of trustees won’t approve of this plan, if it means giving up Rutgers-Camden?

A. Worry isn’t the word. My feeling is, we’ve put forward our recommendations. I don’t know where Rutgers will come down on it, but I would hope they’d approve it.

Q. Students and staff at Rutgers-Camden feel they’re getting the short shrift by merging with Rowan, a lesser-known, smaller college. What’s your take?

A. Our feeling was that some mechanism has to be put in the works, so that anybody who is currently at Rutgers-Camden can finish out their schooling with a Rutgers degree. New people coming in will be making a decision as to whether that’s where they want to be.

Q. Some argue the law school in Camden is profitable to Rutgers. Why lose it in exchange for a medical school?

A. Rutgers now has two law schools, so it will still have a law school. What we’re doing is adding to Rutgers a medical school.

Q. Attempts to revamp New Jersey’s higher-ed system have failed in the past. What makes this time any different?

A. The answer from Gov. Christie was that it’s going to be different because he is governor. I think leadership is extremely important. I also think this plan is different because it’s not a one-size-fits-all, like the 2002 plan under former Gov. (James E. ) McGreevey. That was creating three entirely new, comprehensive universities.

Q. What’s the next step?

A. Gov. Christie has to decide how he’s going to present this. He’s accepted the report from the committee and said he plans to submit an executive reorganization plan to the Legislature. I’m optimistic about it. There are already implementation teams established for the merger between Robert Wood Johnson and Rutgers. I think there might be some fine-tuning, but this has a strong basis to move forward.